Time stock-feeder.



No. 792,200. PATENTED JUNE 18, 1905. VAN WYOK A. GROSHIER.

TIME STOCK FEEDER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 25, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Vairo No. 792,200. I PATENTED JUNE 13, 1905.

VAN WYGK A. CROSHIER.

TIME STOCK FEEDER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 25, 1904.

' 2 BEB/ETS-SHEET 2.

Elnuentoz 72521; .f]. Crodkzlen qvil'ncaca iJNrrnn STATES Patented June13, 1905.

Barnum @rrrea.

TIIVIE STOCK-FEEDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 792,200, dated June 13,1905.

Application filed January 25, 1904. Serial No. 190,493.

To fI/ZZ rah/072a it may concern.-

Be it known that I, VAN WYok A. GRosinnR, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Frostburg, in the county of Allegany and State ofMaryland, have invented a new and useful Automatic Stock-Feeder, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a hopper adapted to be secured above a mangerand to contain grain to be fed into the manger at a predetermined timeand to be fed gradually as it is eaten by the stock.

The objects of my invention are to provide means for opening the lowerend of the hopper automatically; and a further object is to providemeans for regulating the rate of feed from the hopper after it hasbeenopened.

My invention consists of the novel features of construction andcombination of parts hereinafter described, particularly pointed out inthe claims, and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 isa perspective view of my device placed in position. Fig. 2 is a verticalsectional view through the hoppers. Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3 3of Fig. 2. Fig. A is a section on the line 4 4c of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is adetail front view of the lower portion of the hopper, showing theadjustable sleeve for regulating the rate of the flow of grain. is anoutline elevation of the means for controlling the opening of thehoppers, and Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the bracket shown inelevation in Fig. 6.

In the drawings, A represents a suitable manger, and secured to the wallback of said manger is a hopper B, semiconical in shape and dischargingat its lower end into a second hopper B, which incloses the lower apexportion of the hopper B. The rear flat wall of the hopper B is stampedor pressed inward along the longitudinal axis of the said wall, wherebya semicylindrical groove B is formed. Extending through and adapted torotate in this groove is a rod C, the rod extending a suitable distanceabove. the hopper B, where it is bent at a right angle, as shown at C.At its lower end the rod C rests on a bracket C and is angled, as shownat this angled portion being cut away along its upper face. On

Fig. 6

this reduced or flattened portion of the part 0 is secured a slide C,adapted to close the lower end of the hopper B when the rod C is in oneposition and to swing from under the lower end of the hopper when therod 0 is rotated in either direction.

At the lower end of the hopper B is arranged a discharge-chute B", whichextends into the manger A, and on the chute B is arranged an adjustablesleeve D, the said sleeve sliding on the discharge-chute B and beingclamped in its adjusted position by a setscrew of the usualconstruction. At its lower end the sleeve D is diagonally cut away onthe front side, as shown at D, and a curved grain guard is carried bythis end of the shield, the guard D extending on opposite sides of thesleeve. Through the bent portion 0 of the rod C extends a rod E,arranged horizontally above the hopper and manger. Connected to the endsof the rod E are chains E and F, respectively, and these chains passover idle pulleys G, arranged in alinement with and at opposite ends ofthe rod E. To the end of the chain E is connected a weight E Arrangedadjacent one end of the manger opposite the end adjacent the weight E isa bracket H, cut out at H to receive an alarmclock of any desired makeand having a stopblock arranged substantially in the plane of the clockJ A rod J is connected by a link to the winding-stem J of the clock, andthis rod is adapted to be passed through a link of the chain F and tohave its outer end extend under the stop-block when the windingstem isin a vertical position, as shown in Fig. 6.

The operation of my device is as follows: The rod C is turned so thatthe slide C closes the lower end of the hopper B. The clock is wound,and the alarm set to go off at the time it is desired to feed. The rod Jis passed through a link in the chain F and caught under the block H Theweight is thereby held up. The hopper B is filled with grain and thesleeve D adjusted the proper distance above the bottom of the manger togive the rate of feed desired. When the alarm goes ofi', the outer endof therod J will be withdrawn by the rotation of the winding-stem J fromcontact with the block H and the weight will cause a partial rotation ofthe red C, throwing the slide 0 to one side and admitting the grain tothe hopper B, from which it will pass through the discharge-chute andsleeve into the manger. By proper regulation of the sleeve 1) the rateof feed will be such thatv the grain will not feed faster than the stockcan eat and properly masticate it. WV hen the hopper B .is low,alarge-mesh screen K may be placed over the hopper to prevent the stockfrom gettingat the feed while in that hopper.

It is obvious that as many mangers as may be desired can be equippedwith the hoppers and that all of them may be controlled by one weightand from one common alarm. It will also be obvious that as the red Cwill rotate in either direction and the slide G swing in eitherdirection it is immaterial which side of the stall the weight and theclock are placed on, and the weight and clock may be reversed withoutaffecting the operation of the device. It is also obvious that the rod Jmay be released by hand, if desired, and the clock may be dispensedwith.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A device of the kind described comprising a hopper, a slide adaptedto close the hopper at its lower end, means for automatically swingingthe slide to either side of the hopper at a predetermined time, a secondhopper below and partially inclosing the first-mentioned hopper, and aslidable sleeve carried by the second-men tioned hopper adapted toregulate the rate of How of grain.

2. A device of the kind described comprising a hopper having a flattenedface adapted to lit a wall and having a vertical, semicylindrical grooveformed in said face, a rod rotatably resting in the said groove andextending above and below the hopper, a slide carried at the lower endof the rod and, adapted to normally close the lower end of the hopper,and means for rotating the red at a predetermined time.

3. A device of the kind described comprising a hopper open at its lowerend, a vertical rod rotatably arranged adjacent the hopper, a slidecarried by the lower end of the said rod and adapted to close the lowerend of the hopper, the said rod being angled at its upper end, a chainconnected to the upper angled portion of the rod, a pulley, the saidchain running over the pulley, a weight secured to the chain and adaptedto draw the angled end of the rod to one side, and means for locking theweight against descent until a predetermined time.

AN VYGK A. CROSHIER.

W'itn esses:

Geo. lV. F'olnmeun, Geo. M. STONEBRAKER.

